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Slow-Roasted Prime Rib

by Suzanne Goin

read reviews (15)

A luxurious centerpiece for a holiday menu, this three-bone prime-rib roast gets heaped with a big pile of smashed garlic, butter, and fresh herbs, then slow-cooked it in a low oven for at least two hours, until the meat becomes meltingly tender, and the herbs and garlic infuse it through and through.

Need more ideas for an elegant Christmas dinner roast? Read our Guide to Buying and Carving Prime Rib (before you hit the meat market) and check out our Guide to Christmas Dinner where you'll find a juicy prime rib dinner menu and a recipe for a dry-aged beef rib roast sure to impress your guests.

Serves six to eight.

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beef fleur de sel black peppercorns more more

3-bone beef rib roast (about 6 lb.), preferably from the small or loin end and Prime grade
3 Tbs. fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt
1-1/2 Tbs. coarsely cracked black pepper
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
8 to 10 sprigs rosemary
8 to 10 sprigs thyme
10 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Tip: Fleur de sel is a premium sea salt harvested in France. You can find it in specialty stores or online at Saltworks.

Take the beef out of the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking so it can come to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season the meat on all sides with the fleur de sel and cracked black pepper.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 325ºF.

Turn on the exhaust fan. Heat a 12-inch skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Swirl in the olive oil and, when the oil puts off its first wisp of smoke, place the beef in the pan, and sear it on all the outer sides (not the cut sides) until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Use a set of tongs to flip the beef; be careful of splattering oil. With two sets of tongs, transfer the beef, bone side down, to a roasting rack set in a small roasting pan. Arrange the rosemary, thyme, garlic, and butter evenly on top.

Roast the beef, basting every 30 minutes with a bulb baster, until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 120º to 125ºF for rare, about 2 hours. Cook to 130º to 135ºF for medium-rare (about 2-1/4 hours), 140º to 145ºF for medium (about 2-1/2 hours). Let the meat rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Leftovers

For a delicious sandwich using the leftovers see Prime Rib Sandwich with Roasted-Garlic Dijonnaise.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : based on eight servings; Calories (kcal): 750; Fat (g): 62; Fat Calories (kcal): 555; Saturated Fat (g): 26; Protein (g): 45; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 26; Carbohydrates (g): 2; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 1400; Cholesterol (mg): 175; Fiber (g): 0;

From Fine Cooking 82 , pp. 44

December 1, 2006

user reviews

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by roinuj, 1/2/2012Fantastic - another great holiday meal! One recommendation - My butcher offered to trim the roast off the bone and then lay the roast back in place and tie it together so it cooked as a "bone in roast" but with a few snips of the butchers twine, it went on the platter as a boneless roast. Not sure if this is common or not - but I appreciated the time saving step - and if it lost anything from this method - I sure couldn't tell. Another one for my Holiday "make this again" file.

by Tondra, 12/21/2011I have tried this recipe with and without the bone and it is simply delicious!! Mouthwatering and a definite guest pleaser!

by swfoodie, 7/10/2011Great recipe... family loves this. It is now in my favorite recipe collection. Highly recommended

by aliciajane, 5/15/2010My first attempt at a prime rib roast and it was a big hit! So easy to make and so delicious. I'll definitely be keeping this as a repeatable recipe!

by pogue31, 4/17/2010Terrific! From now on, we'll do it this way!

by dnation, 3/6/2010This recipe has been a family tradition now for Thanksgiving instead of turkey! We look forward to it EVERY year. Comes out awesome and tastes way better than turkey.

by Fatouch, 4/13/2009I prepared this recipe for Easter lunch, I bought a deboned prime rib, (prime Grade) 16lbs (easier to handle for big crowd)I followed the directions, the only change I did when baking it I put the fat side down to protect the meat, not having bones. even friends who don't like med. rare meat loved it.... a keeper.

by Cpernai, 12/29/2008This is the best receipe for prime rib. My family loved it. This is truly a keeper

by carolyn807, 12/22/2008I tried cooking Prime Rib for the first time and trusted Fine Cooking to steer me in the right direction - A+ yet again! The recipie was just perfect! The only change I made was slivering a few cloves of garlic and stuffing it under the fat on the top of my roast. My only issue is that the rosemary after the long and slow cooking time fell appart on top and I was left with pokey and sharp rosemary needles all over. I was able to brush most of them off but I guess that is a minor inconvenience considering how super yummy this turned out!

by VAgardengirl, 12/6/2008This recipe is perfection! I've fallen back on this recipe several times now and it truly is a performer. Just follow the directions to the letter and the result will be outstanding. Such a rewarding recipe when you're eager to please family or friends with a spectacular cut of beef. VAgardengirl

by moamoe, 6/13/2008This is the best prime rib I and my family ever had! It was a hit! I didn't change anything from the recipe.

by sandyh, 1/29/2008This is by far my favorite prime-rib recipe!I am making it again tomorrow night. This time I am going to spread a layer of grainy mustard on before the herbs and garlic!

by LaurieAnderson, 12/23/2007This is a never fail prime rib recipe. I joined Fine Cooking online just to have access to it!

by susieoh, 12/22/2007I've made this for Thanksgiving and X-Mas last year and I plan to do it angain this X-Mas, it was delicious. Suzanne Goin is definitely one of the top 3 chefs L.A. has. Thanks for the recipe. My only comment would be to take the Rib out a little earlier than you wanted cooked b/c it is still cooking after you take it out and it might be more done than you want it.

by Carolepip, 11/29/2007This is definitely best prime rib ever. Made it twice already, the second time with entire menu. Will repeat many times in the future. Would love to see more recipes from Ms. Goin.

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